No cycles, but Diamondbacks rally for 15 hits to beat Angels

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks had a couple cycle attempts fizzle out, but the offense never did in a 9-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.

Arizona scored nine runs on 15 hits for the second straight game, doing so in a 9-3 win at the San Diego Padres on Sunday. There was not a single inning in which the D-backs did not pick up at least one hit against Angels pitching.

Outfielders Randal Grichuk and Corbin Carroll were each 3-for-3 at one point with a shot to complete the first Diamondbacks cycle since Aaron Hill in 2012.

The D-backs had four three-hit games on Tuesday, the first team to do so this season. Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. each picked up three hits with two RBIs, Moreno doubling twice.

Arizona worked a total of 23 plate appearances in which the batter reached base.

“I thought it was a pretty complete effort,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We had some situational hitting, we had timely hitting, we had guys on base, we had an all-field approach in very crucial situations, we didn’t give away at-bats.

“This is what we’re capable of doing. When you envision things and when you look at things, these are the types of games offensively I think that we are very capable night in and night out.”

Torey Lovullo on the strong offensive night for the D-backs tonight in a win. pic.twitter.com/NPICM59rIr

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 12, 2024

Randal Grichuk and Corbin Carroll near the cycle

Grichuk and Carroll knocked out the toughest leg first. Grichuk tripled to lead off the second inning and Carroll drove him home with his own three-bagger. Carroll absolutely flew around the bases:

Corbin Carroll is speed. 🏃 pic.twitter.com/ajgnFAbbjR

— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2024

Grichuk gave the D-backs a 4-2 lead with a home run off Angels starter Jose Suarez in the third. Los Angeles left the left-handed Suarez, essentially working as a bulk opener for a bullpen game, to face Grichuk and paid for it.

The outfielder ended a home run drought dating back to April 9.

Grichuk was a single away through five innings but walked and flew out to the warning track.

“It’d be cool to want it, but I’d much rather hit a homer there in the last at-bat or hit a double, have couple RBIs or whatever. It’d be cool, but I’ll take the slug,” Grichuk said.

Carroll doubled in the fourth and started a rally with an infield single in the seventh off Angels fireballer Ben Joyce. The D-backs scored three runs in the seventh to break the game open.

Lovullo said he has never seen teammates in tandem get so close to a cycle on the same night.

No teammates in the major leagues had ever cycled in the same game, although it happened in the minors. Ask D-backs shortstop Kevin Newman, who was part of the rare feat in 2018 with the Pirates.

Grichuk has been a model of consistency for the D-backs with hits in 13 of his last 14 games and a .361 batting average since April 23.

THEY HIT THE BUDS! Reply to this post with #HITTHEBUDS and #SWEEPSTAKES for a chance to win a season’s worth of beer and an autographed D-backs jersey. 🍻#Dbacks x @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/ewgwD6XN3T

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 12, 2024

He has bought into the role platooning against lefties.

“It was one of those things that on paper it looks like, ‘Hey, you should have an All-Star at the DH spot,” Grichuk said of splitting time with Joc Pederson. “Takes some getting used to, not playing every day and not having that rhythm and flow, but it’s going well right now.”

Carroll, meanwhile, is putting together the best stretch of his season. He is 9-for-20 over the last five games with three multi-hit efforts.

“I just think he’s gotten to the point where he knows his swing is sound, he knows where the ball is going to be coming and landing in the zone and he’s not missing it,” Lovullo said. “It’s a matter of checking off the pitches he can’t drive and not missing the ones that he can.

“There’s always swing maintenance, I’m not part of those conversations inside the batting cage … Everybody goes through it, but you’re only as good as the pitches you swing at.”

Jordan Montgomery’s better outing

D-backs starter Jordan Montgomery had a much more stable game than his previous two. He finished with 5.2 innings and three earned runs after back-to-back outings of six earned runs.

Montgomery wanted a changeup back that hung in the zone to Taylor Ward — who homered — but felt Tuesday was a positive step.

“I felt I was moving slower, which is usually good for me,” Montgomery said. “Shapes were right. Other than, hung that changeup to Ward in the sixth, pretty solid. So just gonna keep working hard, trying to get better.”

The bullpen took the ropes and largely executed. Justin Martinez extended his scoreless outing streak to 14, and Lovullo said Martinez was doing fine after taking a comebacker off the leg.

Geraldo Perdomo returns

The crowd at Chase Field gave shortstop Geraldo Perdomo a nice ovation ahead of his first at-bat on Tuesday, his first game since April 3 (torn meniscus).

Perdomo smacked an RBI single on the first pitch he saw to go up 2-0.

Welcome back, Domo! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OdsswwQnjj

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 12, 2024

Perdomo finished 2-for-4 with a walk. He dropped down a beauty of a bunt single in the seventh inning on a 101 mph pitch from Joyce to set the table for the top of the order.

Montgomery said he appreciated hearing Perdomo cheering him on, as Tuesday was the first time they played together.

Diamondbacks’ next game

Slade Cecconi starts for the D-backs, while the Angels turn to right-hander Jose Soriano on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m.

Catch the game on 98.7 and Arizona Sports app.

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